Thu.Jan 11, 2024

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AI Steps into the Retail Arena

Retail TouchPoints

Generative AI has put the retail industry at yet another inflection point. 2023 was a period of experimentation for retailers, and many thoroughly assessed where this new technology could have the biggest impact. As the use cases for this technology have become more clear, in 2024 we’ll see generative AI step into the arena as retailers move from experimentation to production, unlocking both efficiency and revenue opportunities — securely and at scale.

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Discover Samsung’s New Experience Store at Westfield London

Retail Focus

The all-new Samsung Experience Store (SES) in Westfield London will be open seven days a week, featuring the widest range of Samsung mobile, tablet and wearable products currently available to buy. This will be Samsung’s fourth experience store in London, operated by Partner Retail Services Limited (PRS&), the operator of the Samsung Experience Stores in the UK.

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NRF 2024 Preview: Hear From Top Execs at Levi’s, Ulta Beauty, FedEx — and Magic Johnson

Retail TouchPoints

Tens of thousands of retail professionals from all over the world will fill New York City’s Javits Center for Retail’s Big Show from Jan. 13 to 16, 2024. The draw? More than 1,000 exhibitors and 170 sessions featuring a wide array of speakers, from leading retailers to suppliers, analysts and other industry experts — plus a bit of star power (basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Martha Stewart and Drew Barrymore, to name a few).

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Google culls Assistant, hardware, engineering teams

Inside Retail

Alphabet’s Google said on Wednesday it is laying off hundreds of employees across multiple teams, with Fitbit co-founders James Park and Eric Friedman also leaving the company, as the tech giant continues to cut costs. Google said it will lay off hundreds at its Voice Assistant unit, while a few hundred roles are being eliminated in the hardware team responsible for Pixel, Nest and Fitbit, with the majority of people in the augmented reality (AR) team being let go.

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Is Your Business AI-Ready? Find Out with Orium’s Maturity Model

Generative AI is poised to redefine B2B, but scaling AI success in this space isn’t without obstacles. From fragmented data sources and complex buyer journeys to operational inefficiencies, the road to AI-powered growth can be challenging. To achieve a competitive edge, understanding your organization’s AI-readiness is essential. Orium's Data & AI Maturity Model provides a quick, actionable way to assess your starting point.

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Aldi Eliminates Plastic Bags, Pledges to Switch to Natural Refrigerants by 2035

Retail TouchPoints

Aldi has completely eliminated plastic shopping bags from its 2,300+ U.S. stores, a move that the company estimates will prevent nearly 9 million pounds of plastic from going into circulation each year. Additionally, Aldi will transition to the use of natural refrigerants in all U.S. stores by 2035, building on the supermarket retailer’s use of environmentally friendly refrigerants in more than 600 stores.

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‘Horrific, criminal conduct’: Ebay fined $4.5 million for terrorising critics

Inside Retail

E-commerce company Ebay will pay a $4.5 million (US$3 million) fine for its involvement in the harassment of a couple in Massachusetts, according to court documents. The couple, Ina and David Steiner, were the victims of a harassment and intimidation campaign run by Ebay employees in August 2019. They had been subjected to threats and disturbing deliveries, including live spiders, cockroaches, a funeral wreath, a bloody pig mask and a book about surviving the loss of a spouse. “Ebay engage

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Hertz Aims To Sell 20,000 EVs To Purchase Gas Cars

Retail Wire

Hertz, the famous vehicle rental company, has decided to reduce its electric vehicle fleet by a third, amounting to around 20,00 vehicles.

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REI Plans to Open 10 Stores This Year Plus Two More in 2025

Retail TouchPoints

REI Co-op will open 10 stores this year and already has plans in the works for two more stores to open in 2025 — in Durango, Colo. in the spring and St. George, Utah in the fall. The store locations and timetables for the 2024 openings are: Spring: Beavercreek, Ohio and Beaverton, Ore.; Summer: Glendale, Ariz.; Ithaca, N.Y. and Rancho Mirage, Calif.; Fall: Albany, N.Y. and Tulsa, Okla.

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Mark Zuckerberg Is Raising Cows on Diet of Beer and Macadamia Nuts in Hawaii

Retail Wire

The tech giant let his Facebook followers in on his latest passion project on his Kauai farm.

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Victoria’s Secret Taps into Google Cloud AI Solutions to Create More Personalized Online Experiences

Retail TouchPoints

Victoria’s Secret & Co. (VS&Co.) has announced a multi-year strategic partnership with Google Cloud to create more personalized and inclusive online shopping experiences, improve customer and associate experiences and drive operational efficiencies through the use of AI and generative AI technologies. “The integration of Google Cloud’s AI and generative AI technologies will not only improve the online shopping experience for our customers, but also will empower our inte

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Less Stress, More Success: Accounting Best Practices & Processes for 2025

Speaker: Amanda Adams, Fractional CFO, CPA

Are you ready to elevate your accounting processes for 2025? 🚀 Join us for an exclusive webinar led by Amanda Adams, a seasoned fractional CFO and CPA passionate about transforming back-office operations for finance teams. This session will cover critical best practices and process improvements tailored specifically for accounting professionals.

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Fruit Stripe Chewing Gum Is Gone Forever

Retail Wire

The nostalgic Fruit Stripe Gum is saying its final goodbyes. Fruit Stripe, the gum brand that has been a staple in American candy stores since the 1960s, is being discontinued by its owner, Ferrara.

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Online fashion revenues rose +6% year-on-year in December, according to True Fit’s data

Retail Focus

‘Muted’ Golden Quarter fashion sales were buoyed by a Black Friday boost to order volumes, while fashion revenues rose +6% compared to 2022 in December, the latest data from True Fit, the leading AI platform that decodes size and fit for consumers and apparel and footwear retailers. True Fit’s Fashion Genome , the world’s largest connected data set for apparel and footwear, which brings together the preferences of 82 million active shoppers and 20,000+ brands, showed that while demand (order vo

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Ohio Federal Judge Pauses Social Media Law Enforcing Parental Consent for Kids’ Accounts

Retail Wire

A law in Ohio governing the social media accounts of kids may be breaching the First Amendment in "breathtakingly blunt" ways, and a federal judge has ruled that it cannot take effect next week as initially planned.

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What Stanley’s Valentine’s Day sellout says virality in retail

Inside Retail

There are countless examples of how social media virality, especially on TikTok, has helped lift a company’s profits in unprecedented ways, from the sale of fragrance products via #perfumetok to antacids via #hotgirlswithstomachissues. Lately, the internet and the retail industry alike have been buzzing about Stanley’s ‘Galentine’s Collection’ of 40-ounce tumblers for the US department store chain Target.

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Is Your Brand AI-Ready? Find Out with Orium’s Maturity Model

Generative AI is reshaping retail, but achieving true AI success isn’t simple. Many brands face hurdles—underdeveloped data strategies, limited AI-ready infrastructure, or lack of seamless integration across systems. As you explore how AI can boost efficiency and transform customer experiences, understanding your business’s readiness is key. Orium's Data & AI Maturity Model offers a clear starting point.

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Starbucks Sued Over Alleged False Ethical Claims

Retail Wire

A consumer advocacy group filed a lawsuit against Starbucks over misleading advertising for claiming that its coffee is ethical in its entirety, even though the company has been sourcing from multiple farms across the world with human rights violations.

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Djokovic-backed drinks brand Waterdrop taps into water-bottle trend

Inside Retail

Austrian drinks brand Waterdrop is looking to tap into the growing trend of ‘status water bottles’ through a collaboration with world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. Novak Djokovic was the only athlete at the 2023 Australian Open to use Waterdrop’s reusable stainless steel tumbler, but a year later, more players have backed the bottle, which has been designated as the tournament’s official on-court player bottle.

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Cummins Inc. Hit With $2B Fine and Must Recall Ram Trucks

Retail Wire

Cummins Inc., a recognized engine maker, was forced to announce a recall spanning 600,000 Ram trucks. This comes as a repercussion of its shady business practices involving illegal software to dodge diesel emissions tests.

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Net-a-Porter, Ssense, Farfetch: How luxury’s e-commerce leaders stack up

Inside Retail

Luxury online retail platforms are no longer considered a revolutionary concept as successful high-end e-commerce sites have just as much recognition as labels. Platforms like Net-a-Porter, Ssense, Farfetch, Matches Fashion and Mytheresa have created a brand identity of their own. Third-party online retailers have proven that consumers prioritise the acquisition of the product over the in-store purchase experience.

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NEWS: SML RFID Delivers 98% Inventory Accuracy to Gina Tricot

I’m getting in touch with the news that fashion retailer, Gina Trictot, has achieved 98% inventory accuracy thanks to its partnership with SML RFID. Please see the full press release below, including exclusive quotes.

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OpenAI Emulates Apple With Its New GPT Store for AI Apps

Retail Wire

OpenAI has launched the GPT Store, a marketplace for AI apps. It's a platform akin to Apple's App Store, but for AI applications.

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The best career advice I ever received: Fanny Moizant, Vestiaire Collective

Inside Retail

In the world of high-end fashion resale, few names stand out as prominently as Vestiaire Collective – a marketplace that has revolutionised how consumers buy and sell pre-owned luxury items. At the helm of this groundbreaking venture is Fanny Moizant , the co-founder and president whose vision and leadership have propelled the company to become a global phenomenon.

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Google Layoffs Affects Hundreds, Primarily Engineers

Retail Wire

Google has laid off hundreds of workers in multiple divisions, marking a significant change in the tech giant's operations.

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Authentic buys Sperry, partners with Aldo Group

Inside Retail

Authentic Brands Group has acquired footwear retailer Sperry and will convert the brand into a licensed model. The acquisition results in Sperry’s partnership with Aldo Group for wholesale, e-commerce, store operations, footwear design, production, and global distribution. “Sperry’s influence extends far beyond fashion, embodying a lifestyle that celebrates exploration.

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Mastering E-commerce Strategies to Drive Growth in B2B Distribution

B2B distributors and wholesalers: this webinar is for you! Discover the game-changing potential of composable commerce—a flexible, modern approach to e-commerce—and explore the strategies and technologies transforming the B2B landscape. Learn how to create custom digital experiences for your business from the leaders at Orium , commercetools , and Contentful as they walk through real-world examples, providing actionable insights on how to future-proof your business, integrate new opportunities s

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The Largest Cruise Ship in the World Docks in Florida

Retail Wire

The Icon of the Sea is a massive ship and Royal Caribbean's newest addition to its international fleet.

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BridgerPay introduces the first agnostic omnichannel payment operations platform

Inside Retail

BridgerPay, a payment technology pioneer in the payments industry, is proud to announce its transformation into a powerful omnichannel payment operations platform, bringing unparalleled control and flexibility to businesses seeking to streamline their payment processes across all payment channels – e-commerce shops, physical stores and mobile applications.

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Morrisons faces backlash over ‘robocop’ security cameras

Retail Gazette

Morrisons ‘RoboCop’ style security cameras trial has sparked a backlash among some shoppers who claim the new devices have left them feeling “like a criminal”. The supermarket has introduced the portable CCTV devices along its alcohol aisle as part of its latest initiative to tackle a rise in shoplifting. The four-legged remote-controlled devices are called Safer Pod S1 and have features such as a 360-degree HD camera view and a 120db siren system.

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The Double Big Mac Returns at McDonald’s

Retail Wire

McDonald’s is bringing back the Double Big Mac on Jan. 24.

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eCommerce in 2025: How Customer Experience Drives Online Retail Success

Speaker: Jennifer Wright and Nick Barron

2025 is right around the corner, and with it comes a new wave of consumer expectations, competitive pressures, and operational challenges. Success lies in finding the balance between operational flexibility and creating experiences that keep customers coming back. The future of retail belongs to those who can stay ahead of shifting customer preferences and marketing trends. 🔮 In this session, we’ll dive deep into what it takes to keep customers engaged and your operations nimble, no matt

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Boots recouples with Love Island for first ever All Stars series

Retail Gazette

Boots is returning to ITV2’s Love Island as the official beauty partner of its first-ever All Star series. The health and beauty giant will stock the villa with more than 2,000 beauty lines across 15 categories, including fragrance, makeup, skincare, grooming, suncare and haircare. Islanders will have access to over 90 of Boots’ beauty brands on the show, including recent additions to its beauty line up such as Bubble skincare and haircare brands Ouai, Wella Professional and Redken.

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The Next AI-Fueled Challenger to Google: Perplexity.ai

LS Retail

©iStock/siraanamwong A resource I shared during my " Laurel Delaney's Global Trade Trends Report 2024 ," which you can watch now free of charge, is called Perplexity.ai. Perplexity, a startup going after Google’s dominant position in web search , has won backing from Jeff Bezos and venture capitalists betting that artificial intelligence will upend the way people find information online.

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Boohoo put ‘Made in UK’ labels on clothes made in South Asia

Retail Gazette

Boohoo has added “Made in UK” labels on possibly “thousands of clothes” made in South Asia, BBC’s Panorama has found. The fast fashion retailer was found to have removed the original labels on plain t-shirts and hoodies at its flagship Thurmaston Lane factory in Leicester last year. The Panorama investigation discovered that the mislabelling took place at the factory, affecting up to one in 250 of Boohoo’s global supply of garments between January and October 2023.

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Halleroed references Swedish Grace and Carlo Scarpa for Totême flagship store

Dezeen

Stockholm studio Halleroed has designed fashion brand Totême's flagship store in London , which features a sculpture by artist Carl Milles and a steel sofa by designer Marc Newson. Halleroed designed the store, located on Mount Street in the upmarket Mayfair area, together with Totême founders Elin Kling and Karl Lindman. The duo wanted its third flagship to feature nods to the brand's heritage.

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How to Maximize Amazon Sales and Crush the Competition

With over 9 million sellers on Amazon, online marketplaces are more crowded than ever. Whether you’re looking to fine-tune prices in real-time or align strategies across channels, this guide provides the tools to understand how to maximize sales and secure a lasting competitive edge. Download now to transform your pricing strategy and drive holiday success.